North Korea saw UOx42 for what he was, a weak President with an even weaker foreign policy (could it have been he was being blackmailed by North Korean agents?).
Like North Vietnam with the Treaty of Paris in 1973, the North Koreans saw their "deal" with the slime bucket as an expedient. Also like the North Vietnamese before them, the North Koreans had every intention of not fulfilling the terms of the agreement they had just concluded, because it was not in their interests to do so.
Like North Vietnam, North Korea dreams of a united Korean peninsula, and like North Vietnam, North Korea believes that union should take place under their auspices. They have never denied that.
Yet(!!), the American President agreed to give North Korea exactly what it needed to fulfill its desires - the ability to construct a nuclear device by providing light water reactors, WHILE THEY WERE STILL OFFICIALLY AT WAR WITH SOUTH KOREA (AN ALLY OF THE UNITED STATES[!!!!]).
I believe the leadership in Pyongyang actually believed Algore would win the election. That would have given them enough time to complete an atomic bomb. The election of 2000 threw their plans in a tizzy. But the pieces needed for building a nuclear device were on their way.
The saving grace - right now - in all of this is the light-water reactors haven't been built. I don't know whether all of the materials are in country at this point, but if they are not their shipment needs to stop (it should have stopped anyway). If all of the materials are in country, means should be taken to ensure they are never assembled.
Pyongyang is believing this President can be leveraged like the last one to take a fools deal. I don't think it's going to work.
I remember at the time the deal was made with the N. Koreans that it was nasty, and would likely be catastrophic.
What had they ever done to earn such trust?????
Whether they have ALL the devices and means, or not, WE SHOULD ASSUME THEY DO AND ACT ACCORDINGLY.
The fellow on Hume's show was advocating the Containment policy as workable, which is different from Iraq.
We MUST have an administration which takes national security seriously, is able to judge intelligently the various threats and take the appropriate measures.
WHAT IS SO DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT THIS???
Of course, my question isn't directed to anyone of this thread...we all understand...
I smell an Axis of Evil hand in this admission. We are about to launch a major war on Iraq.....and NK tells us .....we got nukes now what are you going to do about it.
Someone is trying to change the subject again....